Thursday, September 07, 2006

They don't tell you this in the following article, but the article only exists because the little people have finally started taking back their country from the evil corporations and their puppet politicians. Knowing ABC was about to show a mini-series full of lies about September 11th to push the right wing agenda, a lot of people wrote letters to Scholastic, ABC, and ABC's advertisers, saying "No... No, no, no. [Shake finger.] You're not getting away with this, ABC." And I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect advertisers started pulling out, forcing ABC to make some serious last-minute changes. And Scholastic backed out because they realized this time the lie is not profitable.

This thing isn't as pretty and harmless as they're trying to make it sound. This story is nothing more than public relations departments hard at work to clean up their fuck-up.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Children's publishing company Scholastic said that it is removing materials from its Web site originally created for use in conjunction with ABC's "The Path to 9/11" amid growing controversy over the docudrama.

The company said it will create a new classroom discussion guide for high school students that focuses more specifically on media literacy, critical thinking, and historical background.

Scholastic is removing materials from its site that were created for classroom use in conjunction with ABC's docudrama, "The Path to 9/11."

"After a thorough review of the original guide that we offered online to about 25,000 high school teachers, we determined that the materials did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues," Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic said in a statement.

"At the same time, we believe that developing critical thinking and media literacy skills is crucial for students in today's society in order to participate fully in our democracy and that a program such as 'The Path to 9/11' provides a very 'teachable moment' for developing these skills at the high school level. We encourage teachers not to shy away from the controversy surrounding the program, but rather to engage their students in meaningful, in-depth discussion."

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Clinton Foundation head Bruce Lindsey and Clinton adviser Douglas Band all wrote in the past week to Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (Charts), to express concern over "The Path to 9/11." (Full story.)

The letter writers said that the miniseries contained factual errors, and that their requests for an opportunity to see it had gone unanswered.

In a statement released in apparent response to the growing uproar, ABC said, "No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible."

Scholastic's new guide states that it had no involvement with developing the ABC docudrama and that the company is not promoting the program.

Bush said the United States has been making progress against terrorists in the past five years, beginning with the unsuccessful mission of the terrorists on United Flight 93, which crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when passengers fought back. "They delivered America its first victory in the war on terror," the president said to sustained applause.

Most people are not aware that Bush and his administration heroically organized the passengers of Flight 93 before the passengers fought back against their hijackers. Yeah, that's what he was pondering for 7 minutes while he sat in the Sarasota classroom. Take that, Michael Moore.

The lesson you should learn from Bush:Next time the United States government fails to keep terrorists from hijacking your flight, remember that they've actually protected you very well. They have selflessly given you the opportunity to die within minutes, at one of two fabulous locations: the White House or rural Pennsylvania. It is every American citizen's responsibility to keep their leaders safe and wealthy.

Hey Ohioans, are you sick of not having a job? Are you sick of losing friends and family in a bullshit "war" that's only creating new enemies and a more serious "terrorist" threat? Are you sick of leading a shitty life?

Then apply for your absentee ballot NOW!!! Right this minute. You have no time to waste.

If you live in Franklin County, visit this page on the Franklin County Board of Elections web site to get started. If you live in any other county in Ohio, go to this page, where you'll find either a URL or a phone number for your county's board of elections. If that doesn't help, go to this Google search results page and replace "XXXXXXXXXX" with the name of your county. Just do something. We can no longer afford our government's blatant corruption (especially in Ohio).

Here's why you need to vote absentee: 1) If you vote absentee, you might actually get to vote this time, unlike in 2004 when you stood in line for 2 hours before giving up and going home or going back to work (if you actually have a job); 2) Voting absentee leaves a paper trail, which will make it much more difficult for Ken Blackwell to rig his own election; 3) You absolutely cannot trust Diebold voting machines; 4) Absentee voting is not as difficult as you may have been told.

Am I eligible to vote by absentee ballot?A qualified Ohio voter does not have to state a reason to vote by an absentee ballot, although the ballot must be applied for in writing. If you are properly registered to vote, you must submit your written request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located. Your request must contain certain information and your original signature.

Interestingly, the Board of Elections has made it more difficult to vote absentee than it was in 2004. In 2004 you could request an absentee ballot online, which I did because I knew I would be in New York City on "Election" Day. Now you have to send a written request for an absentee ballot, which takes more time and effort than an online request.

You know why they're doing that? Because Ken Blackwell rigs elections for a living. He already made it almost impossible for non-Republican voters to get into the polls in 2004. In addition, he rigged the electronic voting machines, which is clear to anyone willing to spend a few minutes doing some research. (That's not a conspiracy theory; it's documented fact. Here's a starting point.) And now he's trying to take away the last viable option--absentee voting--for anyone who plans to vote against him.

One last thing: FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!!! Read the directions (or instructions) on the pages I've linked to. Read the directions on the pages you end up printing. And read the directions on your ballot when you receive it. Read the directions five times before you do anything. They are purposely confusing because some people don't want your vote to be counted. And if you don't follow the directions carefully, YOUR VOTE WILL NOT BE COUNTED!

THIS IS URGENT. YOU NEED TO REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT TODAY BECAUSE THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS IS IN NO HURRY TO SEND IT TO YOU. IT MIGHT TAKE A MONTH OR LONGER BEFORE YOU RECEIVE IT. SO DO IT TODAY!!! FOR YOUR OWN SAKE.